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How to deal with this water problem (pics inside)?

5K views 49 replies 13 participants last post by  JamieH4 
#1 · (Edited)
I have a 2.5-year-old walkout basement home, brick front with siding on back and sides. I just noticed that water appears to be getting in at the foundation in the front of the house.

Here are photos of our storm shelter area in the basement. If you’ll notice the yellow arrows, they indicate where on the plywood flooring above I have black, damp discoloration. It spans about a 5-foot length. Is this black mold?





These are photos of the front of the house, where I believe the water is getting in. The 5-ft length of black discoloration in the photos above pretty closely lines up with where the downspout is in the photos below.





Questions:

1. Do you believe this is the most likely cause of the black discoloration I see on the plywood in my storm shelter?
2. Do you believe it is black mold, or something else?
3. Should I simply first try installing a downspout extender to direct the water to the end of my flower bed where the stone wall is?
4. What should I do about the black discoloration on the wood – how should I treat it (if even just to cover up the unsightliness)?
5. Do I need to call a professional yet? If so, who do I call (e.g. plumber, foundation contractor, etc.)?

Thanks in advance!
 
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#7 · (Edited)
So the brick on the front is a brick veneer? It may be that window sill which is just a rowlock course of brick which is leaking

I use to have rowlocks for my window sills on the front brick veneer of my home. The mortar joints between the rowlocks leaked and without the proper flashing behind, water ran under window and into house.

My solution was to eliminate the rowlock window sills and replace with limestone.

Here is a link to a thread here on the chatroom with some photos:
http://www.diychatroom.com/f104/caulking-vinyl-windows-brick-137233/index2/




From the camera view it may look like the water is running off the front face of the brick but I assure you it is not. All the water is being drawn into that mortar joint, running down behind the brick veneer and ending up leaking out the top of the bay window.

Also here is a link to a youtube video showing the mortar joints leaking:
 

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#10 ·
It's level with the walkway to the front porch though. If I lowered it, I'd have a steep drop-off there on the left side (if facing house) of the walkw
Sorry if that's not what you wanted to hear but think about it, your landscaping is above and against the cold joint between your foundation and the bottom of your floor joist and sill plate.

Your landscaping is acting as a pond/sponge holding water and allowing it to seep in at the foundation to sill location.
 
#14 ·
We don't know a few things.

What is your location?

What is the flashing detail on the wall? Hopefully there will be housewrap behind the veneer which will lead water down the wall. It would be easier to understand water coming in at the top of the concrete wall if the veneer sits on the top of the wall. To have water coming in at the sill plate of the framed wall and not the top of the concrete wall (lower down) is strange.

Does the veneer start on the top of the wall or is there a brick ledge?

Why do you have a downspout near an entry? You must have a bit of roof over the entry which this downspout serves?

I would surely extend that downspout out to the edge of the small retaining wall anyway.
 
#17 ·
And when you have dug it down, look at the base of the brick. Likely there are weeps to allow condensation to drain away. If your landscaping is higher than the weeps, then you've got an excellent path for water to enter instead of exit.......... and yes that black stuff is probably mold, and should probably be addressed as soon as the water issue is solved.
 
#19 ·
I can't tell whether there is any slope to your window sill.

It also appears that your window sills don't extend out beyond the veneer.

From your original photo, am I correct when I say that the floor joists are resting on the concrete wall?

I can't see how much roof is draining into that downspout, but it looks like a very small amount.

How is the concrete floor of your recessed entry detailed? It looks like you have some floor joists under the concrete, then some osb. Is there some tar paper or plastic or something above the osb?


What is the width of those floor joists under the concrete?
 
#20 ·
The sills do extend a bit beyond the veneer (how do we know this is veneer vs. real brick?), and slope slightly downward away from the house:



The floor joists are resting on concrete, yes. They measure 1.5" x 5.5". They are treated floor joists, under treated plywood, topped off with ice-and-water shield.
 
#21 ·
I'm not sure why someone would frame up a recessed entry like that, but there must have been a reason.

I wonder if the concrete is sloped, and the osb floor underneath?

Even if the waterproofing is good and holding up well and the osb is pre-sloped, you have a potential for a lot of condensation against that osb in the cool basement in the summer.

And of course you have a very cold spot there in the winter.

It is more common here to have the recessed entry or stoop or porch supported temporarily for the concrete placement, then the framing/floor sheathing can be removed.

I just insulated one about 4' deep and 6' long which was bare concrete. There was no waterproofing underneath and I put 2" of xps against it. It is covered by a 40" soffit and sloped well on the top. There is no sign of water coming in.

Anyway, I'm just trying to figure out how your house was built.

I wouldn't rule out that mold coming from condensation water.

I would also insulate your rim joist all the way around before it turns black as well.
 
#22 ·
Veneer is real brick, It just means there is a wall behind it. Doesn't look like water is coming from garden unless there is a step down into that room. I wouldn't rule out the window. I would open the window and pour a glass of water on the inside from the screen to simulate water hitting the window. See if it runs out the weep holes under screen.
 
#23 ·
I just forwarded this thread to my builder. His response:

"It's not the grade. I guarantee the water is coming in between the brick and concrete on the front porch. I will run by and caulk the space to see if that takes care of it. Also, the wood is turning black because it is wet - it's not mold. The way that porch is poured, all the wood could come out and the porch would stay. So, structure wise it will not go anywhere."

He's under no obligation to take a look at this, so I sincerely appreciate his willingness to help. I told him this makes sense because the black areas on the wood are a bit farther north than the downspout, pretty much right in line with the front step.

Front Porch Step:



Top View:

 
#24 ·
Do not let your builder "Caulk" their problem. Get an inspector in and have them do a full write up. Your builder is just trying to keep you and them out of court. Because they failed to do the job properly.

It is 100% Landscaping that is causing water to get down there. The pictures do not lie.
 
#27 ·
Now that I see the surface of the floor, I would think that the water is draining off the concrete floor and towards the nice brick on the edge. It is draining down when it hits that joint.

You can certainly caulk that with some Vulkem, but I would think with a deck detailed like that, one would want a secondary drainage plane below.

I like the concrete with brick edging, but this will always be a maintenance problem.
 
#30 ·
It would not be that hard Hammerlane for the OP to run black flex pipe into the ground and out the side below the slope. To help funnel that water out of there.

To me. It is sounding like the OP does not want upset the landscaping, which is not that hard to do. Any local mom & pop Garden Center would have the containers to place the plants into. The other materials would go onto a tarp as is done in these kind of cases.

Simple fix that can be done in a weekend. But too many excuses are coming from the OP, that they do not want to attempt to correct.
 
#31 ·
It would not be that hard Hammerlane for the OP to run black flex pipe into the ground and out the side below the slope. To help funnel that water out of there.
Yeah controlling the water further away from the home before releasing it into the yard would be better. But in my opinion the best way would of been to tie into the storm system. From the photo I bet there is a swale between the posters yard and the neighbors and dumping that water there would mush up the ground there.
 
#33 ·
Now it makes a little more sense, it's under the porch above.

I would ask the builder if the lumber and OSB can be removed, as it should have only been used as a temporary form. No reason to keep it in place if it's only going to rot away anyways. That stoop "should" have been built to be self supporting once cured.

I see these problems on a regular basis. Most concrete guys, or even GC's, don't take the time, effort, or money to do them correctly. They feel like it's just a normal concrete slab, and believe that concrete is "waterproof" in itself, which certainly isn't the case. The proper way to construct these is to treat as a roof, which is what it truly is. It should have an adaquate membrane under the concrete, typically 60 mil rubber used on flat roofs, flashed into the walls of the house. The stoop should be waterproof BEFORE any concrete is poured, and the concrete is used to protect the membrane........
 
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